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Natural history

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"Grisled Plover"
Artist: Port Jackson Painter
Created: [between 1788 and 1797]
Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 cm
Reference: Watling Drawing - no. 317

 
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Bird in profile, facing to the right. It is depicted standing on a mound shaded green to yellow and overlaid with grey serpentine lines, with water to the right represented by short grey horizontal lines and a blue line to indicate the horizon. The bird's underparts are off-white with grey hatched lines towards the throat.. The upper parts are predominantly brown and chestnut overlaid with black markings and white stippling. The drawing is framed by a pencil border and annotated in ink and pencil.

 
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  • Port Jackson Painter]
  • The drawing is annotated in ink at bottom "One half its Natural size, it was shot on the Sea shore".
  • The drawing is unsigned and undated.
  • The drawing is inscribed in ink at top right with the number "245.". This refers to the catalogue list compiled by John Latham c. 1801 which was acquired with the drawings, and is filed with them at the end of the Watling Drawings series.
  • The drawing is annotated in pencil at top "Grisled Plover var L Syn Sup. 2 320". This has been copied in ink at bottom, "Grisled Plover, variety, Latham Syn Suppt 2. p. 320.". The page reference is to Latham's Second Supplement to the General Synopsis of Birds (1802).
  • This bird was more recently identified as the Golden Plover, Pluvialis domenica in Hindwood K. A. (1970).
  • The drawing is inscribed in pencil at top "Lambert Drawing III. 39". This refers to a related set of drawings from the collections of the 13th Earl of Derby, held in the Library at Knowsley Hall, Lancashire.
  • A separate label is attached to the mount alongside the drawing at lower right. It is inscribed in pencil "Type GM".
  • The author of this catalogue record is Suzanne Stenning.
  • By permission of the trustees of the Natural History Museum (London)
  • Two sets of transparencies held in the Natural History Museum (London) Zoology Library and Picture Library: Picture Library reference number 12317
  • James Lee of Kensington : purchased ; 1902
  • Data sheet available.
  • Latham, John. Supplement II to the General Synopsis of Birds. London: Leigh, Sotheby, 1802.
  • Hindwood K. A. 'The "Watling" drawings with incidental notes on the "Lambert" and the "Latham" drawings', Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales for the years 1968-69 (1970).